Brazil’s Ministry of Health has begun releasing sterile male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the indigenous village of Cimbres, in the municipality of Pesqueira, state of Pernambuco, in yet another effort to combat dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. In a statement, the ministry reported that 50 thousand insects have been released with the aim of strengthening arbovirus control in the region.

“The strategy prevents mosquitoes from producing offspring when they mate with females, contributing to the gradual reduction of the vector population and virus transmission,” the statement reads.

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According to the ministry, the initiative marks the beginning of the implementation of the sterile insect technique in indigenous territories. Planned for the next phases is the weekly release of more than 200 thousand sterile mosquitoes. The initial investment is BRL 1.5 million – covering production, logistics, and monitoring.

In addition to Cimbres, the technology will also be implemented in indigenous territories in the states of Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul.

The continuity and expansion of the initiatives will depend on the results achieved and the technical evaluation of the teams involved, the ministry said. The data will enable the analysis of the impact on the reduction of cases of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.

Sterile insect technique

The sterile insect technique uses the species itself to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti. In the laboratory, male mosquitoes are sterilized by ionizing radiation, rendering them incapable of producing offspring, and are then released in large numbers in target areas.

When mating with females, the males do not produce offspring, leading to a progressive decrease in the population of arbovirus vectors.

“Because it does not use insecticides and poses no risk to health or the environment, the technique is recommended for indigenous territories located in conservation areas and forests, where the use of chemicals is restricted or prohibited,” the ministry stated.

Agricultural engineer Luciano Andrade Moreira was chosen by the editors of Nature magazine as one of ten people worldwide who shaped science in 2025. His name appears on the “Nature’s 10” list.

In partnership with other scientists, Moreira has been studying for more than a decade the use of the natural bacterium Wolbachia - common in many insects - in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to block the transmission of viruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.

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The technique developed from this research is called the “Wolbachia Method.” As demonstrated in a 2009 article, mosquitoes carrying the bacterium are less likely to contract these viruses.

According to Nature magazine, “scientists do not yet understand the mechanism, but the bacteria may compete with the virus for resources or stimulate the production of antiviral proteins.”

The use of this method could be decisive in disease control. Mosquitoes infected with the bacteria, called wolbites, when released in urban areas and mating with other Aedes aegypti, pass the bacteria on to new generations of mosquitoes.

Mosquito factory

This is what a biofactory of Wolbachia mosquitoes based in Curitiba, in the state of Paraná, and run by Luciano Andrade Moreira, does. It was created through a partnership between Fiocruz, the Paraná Institute of Molecular Biology (IBMP), and the World Mosquito Program (WMP), a nonprofit organization operating in 14 countries.

Currently, the Wolbachia Method is part of the Ministry of Health’s national strategy to combat arboviruses and is being implemented in cities in the states of Santa Catarina, Goiás, and the Federal District.

The ministry selects the cities based on epidemiological indicators, specifically the occurrence of high arbovirus case rates in recent years.

Nature magazine is a British publication that has been in circulation since 1869 and is considered the most cited scientific journal in the world. The “Nature’s 10” list is not an award or an academic ranking, but it highlights researchers and initiatives that have had an international impact.

In 2023, Environment and Climate Change Minister Marina Silva was included in the list for her work in combating deforestation in the Legal Amazon.